This invention relates to cooking pans and more particularly to such pans as are generally referred to as "disposable" pans. Modern food preparation practices have encouraged the use of "disposable" or throw-away utensils as a convenience for home use. Obviously, utensils that are to be used only once and then disposed of must necessarily be relatively inexpensive. One such inexpensive pan is formed of light or thin gauge aluminum, customarily identified as aluminum foil.
Cooking pans made from aluminum foil have the heat transference qualities associated wth the metal aluminum, and yet, because of the minimal amount of metal utilized in the structure, are not expensive and, consequently, can be disposed of after a single use.
It is noted that the convenience of having an inexpensive throw-away pan by utilizing light gauge metal e.g. aluminum, is achieved with the attendant factor that the pan has diminished structural strength. Thus, foil pans are inherently weak and not capable of carrying heavy loads. Obviously, if the gauge is increased to increase the structural integrity of the pan, the pan cost also increases.
To achieve added structural strength without increasing the metal gauge or thickness, and thus the pan cost, it is customary to form ribs of varying sizes and designs in the bottoms and walls of the pans. Also, controlled wrinkles or folds are often incorporated in the walls and the lip of the pan is curled or beaded in a variety of ways to increase the overall structural strength of the pan. All of these strength adding features have been generally successful in producing inexpensive throw-away foil pans for home cooking.
However, additional strengthening means are desirable in the larger pans such as those used for cooking heavy loads, e.g., roasts, hams, and turkeys. While it is unlikely that an aluminum foil pan can be formed with sufficient structural integrity to carry such heavy loads without additional independent exterior support means, it is nevertheless desirable to build into the foil pan configuration as many strengthening features as possible.